Through the Heart
by BleedingHeartsoftheWorldUnite
Summary: There was a time when there had been unconditional love in his heart, but now that love was gone. Growing up, all that mattered was his brother, but his brother must not have seen it that way, because when they had reached that age, there had only been two things he had cared for, and Loki was not one of them... Loki through his life.
1. Prologue

_Prologue: Abandonded in the Night_

There was a time, once, when there had been unconditional love in his heart, but now, that love was gone. They had grown from boys, and so too had the rest of them, but even then, it didn't matter, because he still had his brother. But his brother must not have seen it that way, because when they had reached that age, there had only been two things he had cared for, and Loki was not one of them...

War, the thrill of the adrenaline pumping through his muscular veins as he fought for life, the tearing of meat from bone - that was the first thing the God of Thunder had coveted. The second was the beautiful Sif.

As tiresome as it was to push himself to keep up with his older brother's rampages, at least the heat of battle was something that they could share. Standing back-to-back, covering each other, there was not an enemy they could not defeat with their combined prowess. There was nothing that they wouldn't do to protect the other, just as it should have been between brothers. But that was before _her_...

Sif was as beautiful as she was sharp with a blade, so it was only natural that it wouldn't be long before the young warrior prince's heart had been ensnared by the young maiden. It wasn't that the magician was immune to her outward charms; he simply had more interest in his brother's welfare than the wanton wiles of some woman. That, and from the very start she had made it perfectly clear that the trickster had best steer clear of her.

Maybe it was jealousy that had made him do it, or perhaps it was merely to get even with the girl for daring to speak to the likes of him that way, but whatever the reason was behind his mischief, there was no pause in Loki's actions when late one night he stole into Sif's room and stole something from her that she could never get back. Once revered through the realm for the thing he had taken, Loki was absolutely certain that once his brother beheld her without it, he would cease to be enchanted.

Alas, it was not so. Despite having her flaxen locks shorn to less than the crop of a newborn babe, Thor was no less enamored; nay, he was so swept into her spell that he had forgone the aide of others in his quest to bring back the smile to the lady's face. Not even the culprit was brought along for the journey...

As time passed, apprehensions grew throughout the realm as soldiers were deployed to verify the prince's safety, and even still Loki had held on to the ray of hope that the time apart from the siren-wench would assist his brother in seeing the light. But by Odin's Beard, Thor had returned with a gift for the maiden when all had seemed bleak. And what a gift it was!

Dark as the night sky and a thousand times more lovely than the radiant bark on Yggdrasil, the waves he had given to the warrior-ess had only made her all the more appealing to the eye, thus rebounding any success that the God of Mischief's passive-aggressive assault had wrought...

For all of that trouble, he had only succeeded at drawing them closer together!

And from there, things had only served to widen the invisible rift between brothers...

* * *

I doubt that in the movie-verse Sif was ever a blonde, but I really loved that story, so I couldn't help but to incorporate it into this! I would love to have seen of them as youngsters, but that's probably not going to happen, so all I can do is image what could have been...

On a more technical level, I don't have a Beta, so if there are any mistakes, whether it be spelling, run-ons, or whack characterizations, I would really appreciate it if someone would tell me! And please, reviews would be lovely!

I DO NOT  own anything in this story; the characters all belong to Marvel/Disney.


	2. Dirt and Roses

**Act One: Seeds**

_Chapter One: Dirt and Roses_

As the coronation loomed ever closer to the bleak horizon the new king was sure to promise, there was not a crack of the realm that was not abuzz. _The king-to-be was so mighty and so strong; there would be none who dared to take on a single Asgardian. The Crowned Prince was such a handsome man; surely there would be a new queen in no time at all. __Thor was so great, Thor was so brave, Thor was so strong, Thor was so blessed. Thor, Thor, Thor. _On and on the senseless prattle went, spinning circles around Loki's head, adorning him with a halo of bitter thorns, brittle fingers weaving a fine blanket of doubt in his ever-freezing heart. He knew better than most just how incredible his brother was, but Asgard could ill use a king such as him...

As much as Loki loved his older brother and looked up to him, once adoring the very breath he took, that did not blind him to the truth! Thor was an oaf, blundering throughout the hallways like a rampaging bilgesnipe, so what would foreign dignitaries on diplomatic missions think of the the Asgardians when witnessing their King's boorish display of brawn? Would the politics not crumble and give way to war and dust when the only answer Thor gave was battle? In affairs of the home front, what possible good could the God of Thunder do with his attentions solely focused on the field?

If not those downfalls, then it would certainly be Thor's arrogance and short temper that would seal the fate of the realm with a decaying kiss. And yet it would appear as if he had been the only one to see as much...

Shut in his chambers, the blinds drawn tight as to only let in a few rays of light, Loki stood with his back to an ornate wall-length mirror, the elegant coils pure Asgardian gold. At his feet knelt a young maiden, or rather a tender little chambermaid, her dark hair tumbling free of a low ponytail. In a vague sort of way, she resembled the Lady Sif, which was truthfully the reason why he had chosen her when the time had come for that right. Although it was her job to attend to his every whim, he did not miss the fact that she took great care to avoid addressing either his brother or Lady Sif.

"Unna," He addressed her almost coldly, the inherent gentleness of her name sounding sharp to both their ears, "Have you any idea what the realm could become under the wrong rule?"

"Mi lord?" Serving him for the better part of a human century, she could tell by his tone that his mind was brewing trouble.

Going on as if she hadn't spoken, Loki turned to face the wrought grating that adorned the bare walls in a decorative fashion, not noticing as he trod over her neatly bandaged knuckles, "It would become chaotic. More chaotic than even a god of chaos would find appealing. This travesty must be ceased... But how?"

Wincing as her fingers were squashed against the elven cobbed stone, she was careful to hold in her exclamation of pain, dull brown eyes swimming in pain, "If a way can be ascertained, I am certain that thee shall find it, mi lord."

Spinning around on his heels once more, Loki seated himself in a sturdy throne-like chair draped with fine emerald silks. Tapping his fingers to the arm in a contemplative manner, he dismissed his servant so that he could ruminate in private. Grabbing the hem of her battered velvet gown, she dipped her head in a deep curtsy and was gone, leaving her master to his musings. Unna worried for her master; worried for what this coronation could do to him...

...

As boys, Frigga had taken a habit of spending lazy afternoons in the palace gardens, attending to her living bouquet, which left the brothers free to roam and explore for hours on end. Of frequent occurrence, none would bother themselves with the growing imaginings of two young princes - provided that said fancy did not entail trouble or damage of personal property. So they were frequently left to their own devices, to entertain themselves. But they were not always alone, as there had been times when a certain goddess had been brought to them...

As the record stood, it was the second time that the tag-along had been invited to play with the boys, in the hopes that the young maiden would become espoused to one of the heirs. Thor, amazed by her tenacious disposition towards fighting, adventuring, and just the outside world in general, had already given his approval of the girl, even before more complex feelings could be an issue. Loki, on the other hand, had hoped that perhaps with the company of a girl, they could have found a more suitable activity to spend the day that did not require ruining his favorite tunic, but alas, even from the first time they had met, it was evident that this was not to pass. Sif, unburdened by the crushing pressure of her parents to be seen as a proper Asgardian Lady, had taken immediately to the rambunctious blonde. However, her opinions of Loki were not quite the same...

Gathered together just outside of the magnificent maze, the myriad without monochrome, the mothers exchanged pleasantries, leaving their children to wander off. Thor, always the boisterous leader, was the first to venture from Frigga's side, casting a fleeting glance to make sure that the adults were engrossed before sneaking off. Watching the entire scene and by far taking a more considerate observation, Sif was not far behind him, pretending to be busy eagerly examining the blooms. Hand held firm by his mother, it was not so easy a task for Loki to slip away with the others. In fact, he took a moment to weigh if he even wanted to go after them, knowing full well that their trek would end in dirt, grime, and possibly a bit of blood, but if he did not go with them, then he would no doubt be stuck listening to the grown-ups prattle on and on, and no matter how much he loved his mother, it was not on his agenda to remain by her side as she droned on about the fourth greatest thing in her life.

Besides, what about Thor? Rash as far back as he could remember, Thor had always been the one to bring about their parents' scolding, the danger to their well-being, and the possible death they faced in events his older brother had crafted without a look back. Thor needed looking after, and since Loki was the only one level-headed enough that Thor would at least pause to consider, it was up to him to at least try to disused any immediately hazardous plan. So what would that mean if he had not been there with his brother? The brunette was almost certain that Sif was incapable of looking after Thor, so he couldn't trust that he would come back alive without his personal assistance.

Because if Thor was ever gone, what would he do for fun? Sure, it would give him time to read more, to practice more so that he could become a skilled magician all the sooner, but for what? He would read all of the books sooner or later, and his skills were already quite promising for his age, so it wouldn't be much longer before he had no need for any of that, so what could he possibly do after all of that? Honestly, as much as he pretended otherwise, it was actually quite fun playing with his brother. And what if Thor did perish? Not only would he have nothing to do after so long, but then that would mean that he would have to take the throne!

Sure, it sounded like fun, but no matter how much he cared for his people and the good of the realm, it was his brother that was more suited for that kind of thing. Thor was great with people, and so much stronger in a straight-forward way, and he wanted the safety of the Asgardians above all else. Loki's priorities were a tad bit different... He wanted nothing more in life than his brother's good health, and to see his booming, goofy grin.

So really, there was nothing to think about. Slipping his hand from his mother's, acting is if he had to stretch, the future God of Mischief waggled his fingers at the dirt, causing it to bubble up. He had intended to make a clone from the earth - clones made from nothing were very advanced magic, and it would take years before he was that skilled - but unfortunately, duplication in general was an ability that was still shaky and far from rounding off his archive of aptitude. He would have been better off by just running blatantly after his companions, but being complicated, Loki felt the need to use his artistry.

"Wah-wa-wa-wah. Weh-we-wah?" Sif's mother asked Frigga.

"Weh-wah. Wha-wah-wa-wah-wa-wa." She replied, noticing that her youngest son had dropped her hand, "Loki, what are you-?"

Before she had even had the time to ask, the 'clone' had swelled to roughly half the size of the young prince, the dirt drawing the water below to become mud. Watching in a mix of horror and fascination as the magic disobeyed and did as it pleased, Loki stood idle while the bubble became so large that it could no longer contain itself. _Poooopppppp_! Contracting with haste, the concoction looked as it would implode, quivering slightly before it expanded, bursting in a glorious display of muck and nature, covering all within a close radius. Skirts drenched, sleeves cloaked, torsos coated, and faces smeared, the two women could only blink for a moment as they wiped away their faces, Sif's mother looking as if she might follow after the failed escape attempt.

"Loki-"

Cutting off his mother with a quick excuse before she could yell at him, the trickster thought up a lie and he thought it up quick, "I'm so sorry mother! I was just trying to come up with a way to help feed your flowers quicker, so that you had more time to tend to them personally, but I'm afraid that it wasn't very good. I know that if I were one of the flowers in your garden, I would ache to hear the sweet song that is your voice."

Well aware of what it was her son was trying to do, and flattered despite the deception, the Queen nodded approvingly, keeping one eye on Sif's mother, hoping for the sake of the realm that she caught on, "What a sweet thing to do for your mother! You know how much my garden means to me, and you, one of the most important things in my heart, see fit to give me a hand. What a blessed mother I am to have a boy such as you."

"What a fine husband you shall make," It was quite clear that Sif's mother was holding her tongue, forcing a smile at the young prince, "Someday."

Nodding in agreeance, Frigga saw the perfect chance to send her son on his way, but not without a warning. Beckoning him close, she knelt to his height, and pulling him close in a motherly embrace, she whispered in his ear, "The next time you use your magic, do try to make sure that there will be no casualties. When you come back home for dinner, know that you will face the consequences for your actions." Smiling, she kissed his cheek, "Now be a good boy and go have fun with your friends"

Inclining his head, understanding what his mother meant, afeared for the ramifications he would face later, Loki scampered off after his playmates.

Turning her attention back to her guest, the Queen apologized, "I am so sorry for my son... He had good intentions I'm sure, but I'm afraid his execution needs some work. My husband and I are working on it, but 'tis slow work. Although, I must commend you, good Lady, for your quick thinking and understanding. Asgard shall be very fortunate indeed to receive a future Queen like your daughter; assuming that she is even half as graceful and poised as you are."

In temperament, Sif's mother thought her daughter far more fitting to bride the eldest son, but in acting manner, the girl was probably more suited for the youngest... Loath as she was to think such a thing of her daughter, she had to admit that they were both akin in the fact that they saw fit to act as they pleased and not in the way instructed of them. If only that Loki boy had been more like his older brother and had simply run along without the need for making trouble... Well, a son of royal blood would bode well for their family, no matter what the heart was like.

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I DO NOT  own anything in this story; the characters all belong to Marvel/Disney. Except for Unna.

I don't know if some of you are old enough to get it, but the actual dialogue between mothers is a reference to the Peanuts. I never really got into them myself, but I did watch them growing up... But that's neither here nor there! But what is 'here' is my my thanks to not only Thiveril for the constructive review, but to bhagwati for putting my fic in the community "great avenger fic", LilyRosetheDreamer for favoriting, and wbss21 for following. I don't usually thank the people that favor and follow, but I just want you guys to know that I really appreciate it! This story really could be something epic, and even if its not, I just wanted to thank you anyways. And for all of you who took the time to even glance, thank you too!

But know that reviews, favs, and alerts are always more than welcome!


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